You Can't Fight City Hall

But You Can Give Yourself a $47k Bonus, Apparently

Don't expect your business with the City of Houston to be concluded with any dispatch this week. If there's any City employees NOT spending all day discussing the latest scandal by the water cooler, it's because they're out on vacation.

In a nutshell, 4 of the staff in the Mayor Pro Tem's office took it upon themselves to grant bonuses totaling $130,000 to... themselves.

Mayor Bill White is not amused.

Council Member & Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado has denied any knowledge of how this occured. She may be a delayed graduate and a bit of a foul-mouth, but I have to say I've never heard any rumors of dishonesty about her personally.

The four employees in question have been suspended with pay, their keys and access badges confiscated pending the results of the investigation. I expect this case will have the Office of Inspector General turning over stones for weeks looking for any trace of rot.

The Harris County DA has been called into the case. With Mayor White's recent push for ethics in local government, look for these four to be drawn, quartered and roasted at the stake as an example to others.